I have a 9 week old baby girl and she has an umbilical hernia (the abdominal wall around her bellybutton is weak therefore, her bellybutton sticks out about 1-1.5 inches). The doctor has said it should go away by 12 months, if not, we will talk to a surgeon then. Have any of you ever dealt with this? If so, how did you handle it? It is beginning to bother me... it doesn't hurt her, it just looks awful and uncomfortable. Any positive input would put me at ease.

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3 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Umbilical HerniaI have a 9 week old baby girl and she has an umbilical hernia (the abdominal wall around her bellybutton is weak therefore, her bellybutton sticks out about 1-1.5 inches). The doctor has said it should go away by 12 months, if not, we will talk to a surgeon then. Have any of you ever dealt with this? If so, how did you handle it? It is beginning to bother me... it doesn't hurt her, it just looks awful and uncomfortable. Any positive input would put me at ease.

My baby also had that, it stuck out really far and was a dark purple color. He is now 14 weeks old and his belly button looks normal except for a little bit of purple color to it. Don't worry, I was freaking out about my LO's also. My doctor told me if it hadn't gone done by the time he was 3 years old or if it got bigger than we would have to do surgery, but it's much better now! Just give it time and I'm sure it will heal on it's own.

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Report This| Share this:Umbilical HerniaMy baby also had that, it stuck out really far and was a dark purple color. He is now 14 weeks old and his belly button looks normal except for a little bit of purple color to it. Don't worry, I was freaking out about my LO's also. My doctor told me if it hadn't gone done by the time he was 3 years old or if it got bigger than we would have to do surgery, but it's much better now! Just give it time and I'm sure it will heal on it's own.

My son also had this when he was about 12 weeks old. Put him to bed with a normal belly button, and the next morning it had poofed out! Scared the crap out of me to be honest! Within a month, however, it had decreased in size and eventually ended up a just a normal belly button. He's 15 months now and hasn't had any problems with it. At the time, my grandma (old wives' tale) recommended taping a quarter over the protrusion to push the belly button back in, helping it to heal faster. We tried this, with no result, other than green skin from the coin. Just let it heal on its own. It should be fine.

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Report This| Share this:Umbilical HerniaMy son also had this when he was about 12 weeks old. Put him to bed with a normal belly button, and the next morning it had poofed out! Scared the crap out of me to be honest! Within a month, however, it had decreased in size and eventually ended up a just a normal belly button. He's 15 months now and hasn't had any problems with it. At the time, my grandma (old wives' tale) recommended taping a quarter over the protrusion to push the belly button back in, helping it to heal faster. We tried this, with no result, other than green skin from the coin. Just let it heal on its own. It should be fine.

Umbilical hernias usually look worse than they really are. Take your finger and gently press to the bottom of the naval and you will feel a ring/opening (usually smaller than a dime). This is what has to continue to close up before the hernia goes away.

Most umbilical hernias will close on their own in the first 6-12 months and if they have not closed by 3 years, then they will likely need a minimal procedure to be closed.

They often look like they are getting "bigger" as the skin stretches out, but once they close from the inside the skin will shrink up.

The good news is that you can leave these alone and they will close on their own - no need to use a coin, tape or belt.

Hope that is helpful,

Dr. Dan

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Umbilical HerniaUmbilical hernias usually look worse than they really are. Take your finger and gently press to the bottom of the naval and you will feel a ring/opening (usually smaller than a dime). This is what has to continue to close up before the hernia goes away.

Most umbilical hernias will close on their own in the first 6-12 months and if they have not closed by 3 years, then they will likely need a minimal procedure to be closed.

They often look like they are getting "bigger" as the skin stretches out, but once they close from the inside the skin will shrink up.

The good news is that you can leave these alone and they will close on their own - no need to use a coin, tape or belt.

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